Steering gear for motor vehicles



May E, H923. 1,453,432

H. E. BREMER STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed July 16, 1919Patented May l, lZB..

UNET@ lE'L'UGG E. 1ER

- STENG G i. I:

Application illed July 18, 1919. Serial` No. '311,348.

To aZZ whom amy comm: v

Be it known that l, HUGO E. BREMER, manufacturer., a citizen of Germany,and resident of Neheim, Westphalia, Germany, have invented new anduseful Steering Gear for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is aspecication.

rihe present invention relates to a steering ear forl vehicles havingtwo road chains or rivingchains, in whlch the speed of these road ordriving chains may be made to dier from each other to a given de e bymeans of special gears provided beside the dierential or compensatinggear yfitted to the vehicle.

rlhe arrangement of such steering gears according to the presentinvention is essentially such that for steering in the one or the otherdirection a connection is made between the shafts of the two chains byinterposition of two or more clutches or the like, so that when the oneor the other clutch or the like is engaged the driving power istransferred from the one chain shaft to the other and thereby thedi'erent speeds of the chains are produced. t

According to the present invention preferably such clutches areemployed, which allow of the steering eiect coming only gradually intoforce so that the same will not be as rough or jerky as when toothedclutches are employed, which, however, may under circumstances also beused with the arrangement forming the object of the presentA invention.The one advantage of the steering gear according to the presentinvention over other arrangements consists, therefore, therein thatthere need be no sudden brake eects or sudden engagements by whichheretofore much power was wasted and the machinery and running partssubjected to much wear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example twoconstructionall forms of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a motor vehicle having two road chainsembodying the one modiication of the steering gear according to thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the vehicle, the y of the car being supposed to beremoved.

Fig. 3 illustrates another modification oi the steering gear.

ln the drawin a motor vehicle is shown the body l of which rests on twochain gears by means of which the car is enabled to travel and to besteered. These chain gears, which are connected by means of springs 2 tothe frame of the vehicle, each consist of a supporting rail or the like3, at the ends of which chain wheels or pinions (or also pairs ofpinions) 4 are provided, over which runs an endless road chain ordriving chain 5 or 6, respectively. The said supporting rail 3 is fittedalong its lower side with a Vplurality of rollers 7, against which thechains 5 and 6, respectively, run.

The supporting rail, frame or the like 3 is slanted oil' at its frontend or adually ascends so as to form an incline run for the chainbetween the pinions 4c and the bearing section, whereby the vehicle isbetter aenabled to climb over obstructions in the roa The road ordriving chains 5 and 6, respectively, are composed in the usual mannerof tread plates hinged to each other. The arrangement is preferablysuch, that on leach tread plate there is one roller in the longitudinalextension of the car, and the chain cannot be sagge'd through along itsedective surface.

These rollers may be journalled either on the chain or on the supportingrail or the like. Also loose rollers may be disposed between the saidrail or the like and the chain, Another modication may consist inarranging a roller chain running over the sprockets or pinions andtravelling between the supporting rail and the road chain. Alsocombinations of the roller sup orting devices described may be employed.So, for example, rollers may be disposed both on the supporting rail andon the tread plates.

The road chain gears are disposed to rock or tilt on a horizontal axisdisposed at their center, each chain independently by itself; stopsbeing provided to limit the stroke at a given point. Hinged stays orother means are provided for preventing a lateral displacement.

' The said road or drivingchains 5 and 6 are preferably driven by meansof a sprocket gear 9 arranged ahead of the same, the driving chain l ofwhich will exert a pull on the forward sprocket t of the driving chainsor 6, respectively.

rllhe power is transmitted to the road chains -from two shafts, thesocalled dierentiall shafts 11 and 12 immediately to the pin- OHS,Whereas for sring purposes the power is transmitted over separatecountershafts 13 and 14, respectively.

The principle forming the subject'matter of the present inventionconsists now, therein that when the car is taking a curve the onerespective road chain shaft and thereby also the respectiveroad chain isby engagement of the respective countershaft driven at a greater speedthan the other road cham shaft and road chain, respectively, the

power for increasing the speed of the one 5 and 6, respectively. To theshafts 11, 12

are further fitted two sprockets each of suitable diameters, 22, 23 and24, 25, respectively, from which chains run to the sprockets 26, 27 and28, 29, respectively, fitted to the countershafts 13 and 14,respectively, or hollow shafts 30 and 31, respectively, fitted to saidcountershafts 13, 14. Said hollow shafts may, then, becoupled by meansof clutches to the respective countershafts, said clutches eachcomprising a slidable clutch member or clutch half 32 and 32',respectively, and a fixed clutch member or clutch half 33 and .33',respectively.

lVhen, now, the car is to turn to the left, the clutch 32 32 is engagedand the hollow shaft 30, which until then has by means of sprocket 22been driven idle, will by means of its clutch member 32 and the otherclutcl member 32 onv the countershaft 13 drive the latter and with itthe sprocket 27. The power will, then, be transmitted over this sprocket27 and sprocket 23 to the driving chain shaft 11 and thence throughsprocket 16, chain 18 and the sprocket 20 and the right hand chaintransmission 9, 10`

to-the road chain, 5. vAs the hollow shaft 30 is coupled with thecountershaft 13 the sprocket 27 having the larger diameter .will

drive onto the sprocket 23 having a smaller diameter whereby the speedis increased, whilst, before the clutch was engaged, the countershaft 13revolved loose in the hollow shaft 30, the two shafts running atdifferent A speeds. l

If on the other hand the car is to turn to by sprocket-28 will, on beingengaged with its other half drive the latter and therewith thecountershaft 14. The ower is transmitted by the larger sproc et 29fitted to the end of the countershaft 14 to the smaller sprocket 25 onthe shaft 12. This shaft 12 drives through the sprocket'l7 and chain 19thesprocket 21, which throughthe left hand chain transmission 9,'10drives the front pinion 4 of the road chain 6.

The clutches 32 32 and 33 33 are operated by any suitable meanscontrolled .by

f By such means the speeds of the two roadV chains may be brought into agiven ratio to ,each other, by the steering lever being moved overa dialwith marked stops or abutting against such stops and being held inpredetermined positions by notches.

With the steering gear constructed in this .manner the advantage issecured that no disengaging of gears is neoessar as with the ordinaryspeed gears; the ifl'erential driving shafts will by means of chainsdrive two separate transmission gears,which will cause the one chain totravel faster than the other, when the one or the other transmis- ,siongear is operated by the engaging of the respective clutch. There are,thus, two different clutches, of which only the one or the other need beengaged to drive the one on the 'other road chain at a greater speed.

In the constructional form shown in Fig. 3 the arrangement isessentially such that the gears which produce the increase of the speedof the one or the other 'road chain for steering the car are disposedclose to the differential gear or the like, and enclosed in one orseveral casings, so that they are continuously supplied with grease. Forallowing of making the transmission gears as compact as possible, thetwo shafts required for the transmission of the power are instead ofnext to each other as in the aforementioned arrangement, `disposedwithin each other, the one being a hollow shaft. Also the fixed cln'tchhalves or clutch members are preferably fitted to a hollow shaft, andthe slidable clutch halves or clutch members to the inner shaft orpartly toa hollow shaft.

vThe further arrangement according to Fig. 3 is as follows:

From the usual differential or equalizing gear 15 which is driven by themotor, the `shafts 1,1 and 12 project at the sides, transsaid shaft 36is further fitted a gear 39 meshing with gear 34 on shaft 12, and ashort hollow shaft 4() forming an extension of hollow shaft 37 andvhaving on opposite ends fixed clutch members 53 and 54, respectively,whilst the sliding clutch member 55 corresponding to member 54 is fittedto the solid shaft 36. On the short hollow shaft 40 is furthermorefixedly fitted a gear- 41 meshing with a gear 42 fitted to the shaft l1.

When t-he equalizing gear is operated, the

two road chains Will be driven at the sameI speed.

When, now the vehicle. is to turn to the left, the right road chain willhave toy run at a greater speed than the left. For obtaining this thesolid shaft 36 is engaged by means of the clutch 54, 55, so that themeshing gears 34 and'39, which are at a corresponding ratio to eachother will through the solid shaft 36, the short hollow shaft 4()coupled to the hollow shaft 37 by means of clutch 54, 55, the gear 41thereon, the gear' 42 on shaft 11 having1 thev same number of teeth asgear 41, an the pinion or sprocket 16 drivethe right road chain at ahigher speed `than the left.

When the vehicle is to turn tothe other side, i. e. to the right, theoperation is reversed. Clutch50, 53 is engaged, so that the power istransmitted from the differential shaft 12 through gears 42, 41, theclutch 53, 50, the hollow shaft 37 and the gears 38, 35.A `By the pinionor sprocket 17 fitted to shaft v12't1ie right road chain will therebreceive a greater speed. The shiftable clutc members 50 and 55arepreferably moved to and fro, or engaged and disengaged by means ofalfork 43 actuated by a common steering lever 44 so that it will beimpossible for them tobejsimultaneously enga d.

.The casingl45 encloses the whole ieii'erenn tial gear andv also thegreater part of the countershaft whilst another casing 46 encloses thetwo constantly meshing gears 41. 42, whereby an .encased gearing isformed and a permanent sufficient lubrication is ensured. v v

When the vehicle is desired to turn. on its own axis one of Athe knowndevices such as a Ipawl, free Wheel gear, strong brakes or the li e maybe fitted to each of the road chains,

so that steering may be effected by differential speeds or also bycompletely stopping the one or the other road chain.

I claim:

In a steering gear for motor vehicles having a pair of road chains, thecombination with two chain shafts adapted to be operated by the motorfor driving said road chains, a differential gear connectm said chainshafts to the motor, two sets o auxiliary shafts arranged in pairs onewithin the other, two pairs of clutch members fitted to said auxiliaryshafts for individually coupling the same and said chain shaftstogether, and means for transferring in a given ratio the power from onechain shaft to the other whereby to produce a difference in the speedsof operation of sald road chains.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses, this second day of May,- 1919.

HUGO E. BREMlER.

Witnesses:

RULEMANN FRHR. v. ROLL, O'rfro GRTZMULLER.

